Generally speaking, a cardiac pacemaker or implantable pulse generator (IPG) is an electrical device used to supplant some or all of an abnormal heart's natural pacing function, by delivering appropriately timed electrical stimulation signals designed to cause the myocardium of the heart to contract or "beat".
Current pacing modes are well-suited for patients with atrioventricular (AV) block. That is, loss of function in the AV node, resulting in loss of electrical conduction between the atria and ventricles.
Some pacemaker patients who have Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS) have intact AV conduction most of the time, but may be subject to an occasional AV block. For such a patient, the AAIR pacing mode (the pacemaker paces in atrium, senses in atrium, is inhibited in response to a sensed beat, and is rate responsive) is not adequate since the ventricles need to be paced during AV block. Another pacing mode, DDIR (the pacemaker paces in both chambers, senses in both chambers, is inhibited in response to sensed beats, and is rate responsive) solves some of the problems associated with the AAIR mode, but requires adjustments of the AV intervals (time between atrial and ventricular depolarization) and the post ventricular atrial refractory period (PVARP) in order to preserve AV conduction and prevent "competitive" pacing.